Edmonton scientist carves out a name for himself in cheese industry

Former scientist turned cheesemaker, Aditya Raghavan at Meuwly's Artisan Food Market in Edmonton.

Andrea Dion
CTVNewsEdmonton.ca 

Digital Producer
Updated Jan. 31, 2022 

A former scientist turned artisan cheesemaker is on a mission to broaden the palates of Albertans.

About 10 years ago, Aditya Raghavan decided he wanted to make a change from the lab to the kitchen. And while the career change may seem unlikely to some, Raghavan said his physics background only helped him better understand the dairy industry.

“There is a lot of biochemistry involved in dairy fermentation,” he noted.

“It’s very interesting to apply your scientific training to those aspects, I didn’t necessarily get trained in that stuff but I could easily sort of grasp it because of my scientific training.”

But, what led to the new found passion for cheese? Experimenting at home.

“I was always passionate about food,” he recalled.

“I didn't know how to contribute meaningfully so I started going and working on farms and learning more about cheesemaking.”

Raghavan said he didn’t have a place to call home for about five years and made a number of personal sacrifices along the way in order to pursue his dream and learn more about the “world of dairy.”

During that time, he travelled to France, Germany, Italy and India to fully immerse himself in the art of cheese production.

“There’s a big disconnect between what the traditional European way of consuming cheese is as opposed to here,” he explained.

“It’s an experience when you go eat it there and it’s accessible. You just pick up a wheel and enjoy it at home.”

'A NATURAL FIT'

Raghavan told CTV News Edmonton he never grew up “fascinated” by cheese. But developed a love for it when he witnessed “the rich connection with the farm that’s involved.”

This is also why he only uses organic Alberta products when making his cheeses.

“Only the highest quality, always.”

Eventually, when Raghavan returned to Edmonton, he fully immersed himself in the food industry which led to a partnership with Meuwly’s.

In 2020, he pitched the idea of converting expired or expiring milk products at the shop into cheese to try and curb the losses during the pandemic.

“It helped us repurpose that product,” Peter Keith, the co-founder of Meuwly’s, said.

“It was just a natural fit of what this business was created to do and we really jumped at that chance.”

Raghavan is now working full-time at Meuwly’s and sells his product under the brand Fleur Jaune, which is French for yellow flower and reminiscent of his time in the French Alps.

“I want to make products that are new to Alberta,” he expressed. “I want to change the connection people have with cheese.”

In order to do this, Raghavan has kept his cheeses “approachable,” but intends to start experimenting with different flavours in the near future.

“There’s a growing customer base in what I’m making, which is nice,” he said.

“I feel very lucky that I latched onto cheese making of all things and I could apply my background and training in different ways to a new field.”


Aditya Raghavan making cheese in the kitchen at Meuwly's Artisan Food Market.

U.S. judge approves direct election of UAW officers

By David Shepardson


A person carries a flag with the patch from the United Auto Workers (UAW) labor union during a May Day rally for media workers held by The NewsGuild of New York on International Workers' Day in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., May 1, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) will directly elect officers after a referendum required as part of a 2020 Justice Department settlement to resolve a corruption probe.

U.S. District Judge David Lawson in Detroit on Tuesday approved the results of the referendum and ordered the change by June, which will be in time for the next union election cycle. The union in 2020 also agreed to an independent court-appointed monitor as part of the Justice Department settlement into allegations that resulted in the convictions of two former UAW presidents, among others.

UAW officers have been elected through a delegate system rather than through direct elections. More than 63% of current and retired members voted in favor of direct elections in a secret ballot.

"We will continue to work with the monitor to ensure that the UAW is fully reformed, free of corruption and fraud, and that the union’s elections will be fair," said Dawn Ison, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Under the Justice Department consent decree, monitor Neil Barofsky has authority to exercise disciplinary powers within the UAW, investigate possible fraud or corruption and seek discipline against UAW officers and members.

Barofsky will design the new election system after consulting with the UAW.

Numerous UAW officers pleaded guilty to embezzling millions of dollars for their personal benefit, using the funds for liquor, cigars, golf outings and expensive hotel stays.

In August, FCA US, the North American operating subsidiary of Stellantis (STLA.MI) was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to making more than $3.5 million in illegal payments to UAW officers. FCA paid a $30 million fine.

The UAW represents about 400,000 U.S. workers, including workers at Detroit’s Big Three automakers and in other fields. At its peak in 1979, the union had a membership of some 1.5 million.

Shadowy militant group claims latest UAE drone attack

A little-known militant group has claimed the latest drone attack on the United Arab Emirates, raising the possibility of widening security risks after a wave of assaults from Yemeni rebels.

© Paz PIZARRO Map of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, as tensions rise in the region.

Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq (True Pledge Brigades), which is believed to have ties with pro-Iran armed factions in Iraq, said it launched four drones at dawn on Wednesday targeting the wealthy Gulf state.

"The people of the Arabian peninsula launched a strike against the state of the 'Emirates of evil'," the militant group said in a statement posted online.

The UAE announced the interception and destruction on Wednesday of three "hostile drones", which follows three previous drone and missile attacks claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels since January 17.

But UAE did not blame the Yemeni rebels for Wednesday's drone attacks, and the Huthis -- engaged in a seven-year war with a Saudi-led coalition which includes UAE -- did not claim responsibility.

"Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq will continue to deliver painful strikes until the UAE stops interfering in the affairs of the countries of the region, primarily Yemen and Iraq," the statement read.

It added a warning that "the coming strikes will be more severe and painful".

- 'Dangerous escalation' -

Senior Huthi official Mohammed Ali al-Huthi, a leading figure in the rebels' political wing, wrote a message on Twitter following the attack, before deleting the post.

"Thank you to free Iraq and its mujahideen," it read.

UAE officials did not respond to requests for comment on Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq's claim.

The group -- described as "unknown" by a source from Kataeb Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-affiliated armed faction in Iraq -- previously claimed an attack on Saudi Arabia in January 2021. The Huthis denied responsibility for that attack.

© Karim SAHIB A view of Abu Dhabi's promenade, capital of the United Arab Emirates, which has been targeted by missile and drone attacks

On Thursday, UAE state media reported that the Emirati and Iranian foreign ministers spoke over the phone on a number of issues of "common interest".

During the call, UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan denounced the "Huthi militia's terrorist attacks on the UAE", the official WAM news agency said.

"He reiterated the need to stop the dangerous escalation in the region, and adhere to the political solution in Yemen," WAM added.

The attacks have prompted the UAE's staunch ally the United States to deploy a warship and fighter planes to help protect the Middle East financial hub, usually a safe haven in the volatile region.

In the Huthi-claimed attacks, three foreign oil workers were killed in a drone and missile assault on Abu Dhabi on January 17, while missiles were intercepted over UAE on January 24 and 31.

th/dm/pjm

Miywasin Moment: Raven tales take flight across generations

BY JOLYNN PARENTEAU ON FEBRUARY 2, 2022.
SUBSCRIBE NOW

ART BY YURI B. - Ravens feature in many Indigenous legends.

The days in southern Alberta are growing longer. The sun’s rays seem to stretch further across the Coulees later in the evenings, and westwind Chinooks strive to melt away the winter snow.

Far to the north, the Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest tell the legend of The Box of Daylight, how long ago the land was always in darkness.

Yéil, The White Raven, coveted the wealth of the great Chief, Naas-sháki Shaan. There came a time when as Yéil soared through the dark sky, he spotted a woman bathing in the river. The woman was the daughter of the Chief. Yéil transformed himself into a spruce needle, fell into her cup, and the woman drank him with the water. The Chief’s daughter soon had a baby, who grew fast.

The great Chief provided every luxury for his only grandson. The child was most enraptured by three mystical boxes in the Chief’s safekeeping. The boy pleaded to have the boxes. The Chief could not bear to refuse his grandson anything, so he gave the child a box, with a warning.

“Do not open the lid, Grandson!” cautioned the Chief. The boy, who had his own mind, opened the box and released the stars into the sky and gazed in wonder at the lights in the Heavens.

The boy could only think of his desire for another box, and soon his Grandfather gifted him the second.

“The lid must stay shut, Grandson!” instructed the Chief. No sooner had his Grandfather left him be, the boy opened the lid, and discovered the moon. The boy played with the moon, and threw it up into the air and out the smoke hole of their lodging. The moon sailed up to take its place in the dark sky and light up the night with its glow. The boy stood in awe bathed in moonbeams that fell across the snow.

The boy wished for the last box. His tears flowed without ending until the great Chief gave his grandson the last box.

“The box must stay closed forever, Grandson!” commanded the Chief. The boy, full of mischief, opened the box and let loose the sun, which dazzled his eyes as it flew through the smoke hole into the sky.

The boy again became Yéil, the White Raven, and burst into the air to chase the escaped sun, but was caught in the smoke hole. His feathers turned to black for the rest of his days and for all his descendants, but the sun, moon and stars gave light to the earth forevermore.

Tlingit artist Megan Jensen narrates a version of the legend in a promotional video for Travel Yukon currently airing, while she snowshoes a great raven image in the Haida art style into the snow on a frozen lake. The extended version of this captivating short film can be found on Travel Yukon’s YouTube channel titled “Art show of winter, extended version”. It is a visual and storytelling masterpiece.

Ravens feature frequently in Indigenous storytelling. Often stories explain how Raven’s actions have influenced the world as we now know it. A Haida legend tells how Raven discovered the first humans hiding in a clam shell; he fed them salmon and berries. Another Native American legend tells how the White Raven was charmed by Man, who lived in darkness. Man asked Raven to bring fire to warm Man’s village. Raven did as Man asked, and brought the magic of fire on a branch. Raven’s white feathers grew black from the soot. Although his outer beauty was gone, blessed was Raven, who brought light to those in darkness.

Métis-Cree entrepreneur Nicole McLaren understands the power of storytelling. Founder and CEO of Raven Reads (ravenreads.org, @raven_reads on Instagram) based in Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (Kamloops, British Columbia), McLaren’s business is a champion for Indigenous publishing. Born out of a book club in 2015, Raven Reads promotes Indigenous authors and artists and supports Indigenous children’s literacy programs.

The Raven remains a symbol for progress in the world. May his story live on for many generations to come.

JoLynn Parenteau is a Métis writer out of Miywasin Friendship Centre. Column feedback can be sent to jolynn.parenteau@gmail.com.

'Let the light in': Romanian Roma actress smashes stigma with new play

Mihaela RODINA
Wed, 2 February 2022,

Serban says she has 'never been able to recognise' herself in Romanian stories (AFP/bogdan dinca)


Serban, the first in her family to graduate from high school, attended Bucharest's Academy of Theatre and Cinema (AFP/bogdan dinca)


Roma actress and playwright Alina Serban features crows in her show, a play on the pejorative word for 'gypsy' 

(AFP/bogdan dinca)

Serban's autobiographical show 'The Best Child in the World' opened to sold out audiences in January (AFP/bogdan dinca)
bogdan dinca


As a child, Roma actress and playwright Alina Serban didn't see herself represented on television, in movies or books, her stigmatised community shunned from the cultural mainstream.

She has dedicated her career to changing that, and last month became the first Roma to stage her work at Bucharest's National Theatre.

"I grew up in this country, but I've never been able to recognise myself in the stories," the 34-year-old told AFP.

"That's why it's important for me to crack open the door and let the light in. It's like I'm planting a flag," she adds, speaking between rehearsals.

Her show, called "Cel mai bun copil din lume" (The Best Child in the World) and based on her life, opened on January 21 to sold out audiences.

It is a moving and at times funny story about a girl who triumphs against all odds, but can't escape the stigma she faces as a Roma.

"This is the first time that a Roma story, written, staged and performed by a Roma artist has been welcomed on the national scene," she says.

- 'She's a gypsy' -

Romania, one of the poorest countries in the European Union, has the largest Roma minority in Europe, around two million strong, according to NGOs.

But many Roma are reluctant to identify themselves as such for fear of discrimination. Officially they are only 621,000 out of Romania's population of 19 million.

Serban says she started to realise her Roma identity at age nine when she and her parents, beset by financial difficulties, had to leave their apartment in a working-class Bucharest district.

They settled in a cob house without running water, alongside her aunts and uncles.

That's when she heard a remark at school that will haunt her forever: "She's not Romanian, she's a gypsy".

The pejorative word "gypsy" is often replaced by "crow" in Romanian.

It's a reference Serban uses in her play: she wears a black feather crow mask that she cannot shake off.

Tired of having to hide where she lived, she promised herself she would get out of the "slum".

She became the first in her family to graduate from high school and was then admitted to Bucharest's prestigious Academy of Theatre and Cinema.

She followed up with studies in New York and London financed by grants.

Serban won acclaim on the international stage, including for her roles in the 2019 movie "Gipsy Queen" about a struggling single mother who fights in the ring, and the 2018 Belgian film "Alone at My Wedding".

- Overcoming self-hate -

But "that was not enough", she says. She continued to be shaken by self-doubt.

"The problem with racism is that the hate that others project on you becomes self-hate. And you end up suffering from impostor syndrome," Serban says.

Among her many projects is a feature film on Roma slavery -- a dark page in Romania's history which Serban has already explored in a play "Marea rusine" (The Great Shame).

For centuries, the traditionally nomadic minority was reduced to slavery -- until that was abolished in 1856 -- and then subjected to forced assimilation under communism.

Even today, racism continues, and Roma access to employment and housing is difficult.

According to opinion polls published in 2018 and 2020, seven in 10 Romanians say they "do not trust the Roma".

- 'Change the world' -

Despite everything, the artist sees reasons for hope as Roma culture becomes "cool" among the younger generation.

More open to diversity, they are interested in Roma music and fashion, while school textbooks have started mentioning the enslavement of Roma, according to sociologist Adrian Furtuna.

"There is beginning to be an awareness" of what the Roma have endured, he told AFP.

Holding back tears, Serban says that by openly talking about her Roma identity she "endangered" her mother, who could have lost her job as a cleaner or been evicted.

"If I continue, it's because at the end of the films or plays in which I act, I see a gleam in the eyes of the spectators," Serban says.

"I am convinced that I can change the world with the stories I tell".

ii-mr/jza/jv

CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M
European oil port terminals hit by cyberattack


Belgium's main port, Antwerp, was one of those where oil trading firms systems were hacked by suspected ransomware attackers 

(AFP/EMMANUEL DUNAND)

Matthieu DEMEESTERE with AFP bureaux
Thu, February 3, 2022, 6:01 AM·3 min read

Major oil terminals in some of Western Europe's biggest ports have fallen victim to a cyberattack at a time when energy prices are already soaring, sources confirmed on Thursday.

Belgian prosecutors have launched an investigation into the hacking of oil facilities in the country's maritime entryways, including Antwerp, Europe's second biggest port after Rotterdam.

In Germany, prosecutors said they were investigating a cyberattack targeting oil facilities in what was described as a possible ransomware strike, in which hackers demand money to reopen hijacked networks.

Oil prices hit a seven-year high last month amid diplomatic tensions with gas supplier Russia, and energy bills are fuelling a rise in inflation that has spooked European policymakers.

According to a specialised broker, the alleged hacking is affecting several European ports and is disrupting the unloading of barges in this already strained market.

"There was a cyberattack at various terminals, quite some terminals are disrupted," said Jelle Vreeman, senior broker at Riverlake in Rotterdam.

"Their software is being hijacked and they can't process barges. Basically, the operational system is down," he said.

The EU's Europol police agency said it was aware of the incidents in Germany and had offered support to authorities.

"At this stage the investigation is ongoing and in a sensitive stage," Europol spokeswoman Claire Georges said.

One of the main victims seems to be the cross-border Dutch and Belgian Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp oil trading hub, where company IT systems were affected by the attack.

SEA-Tank Terminal, which has storage facilities in Antwerp, was hit, Belgian daily De Morgen reported.

The Dutch National Cyber Security Centre said the attacks were "probably committed with a criminal motive" and pledged to take further action "if necessary".

- 'Not grave' -

In Germany, two oil supply companies said they were victim to the cyberattack since Saturday January 29.

Both Oiltanking Deutschland GmbH and Mabanaft declared force majeure, an emergency legal clause that is used when a company cannot fulfil its supply contracts because of an unforeseeable event, a joint statement said.

"We are committed to resolving the issue and minimising the impact as quickly and effectively as possible," they said.

The head of Germany's IT security agency, Arne Schoenbohm, said at a conference on Tuesday that the incident was serious but "not grave", German media reports said.

According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, an initial report from German security services identifies the BlackCat ransomware as the tool used in the cyberattack in Germany.

BlackCat emerged in mid-November 2021 as a software tool to allow hackers to seize control of target systems and has quickly gained notoriety for its sophistication and innovation.

According to US cybersecurity firm PaloAlto, BlackCat has the added advantage of being more lucrative than its rivals for the hackers who use it -- other ransomware platforms usually take a higher commission.

The experts also note that BlackCat's programmers use the Russian language, but this clue could be misleading since hackers often leave false clues to cover their tracks.

Recent ransomware attacks against targets in the United States and other western countries have been blamed on Russian-speaking hacker groups or those operating from Russian territory.

In June, US authorities said they had recovered a ransom payment paid by Colonial Pipeline to Russia-based ransomware extortionists Darkside, who had forced the shutdown of a major fuel network.

The attack caused short-term fuel shortages and drew attention to the broader threat that ransomware posed to essential infrastructure and services.

bur-arp/dc/ah

Rights group slams Lebanon for "flawed" murder probes

Layal ABOU RAHAL
Thu, 3 February 2022

An undated picture of Lokman Slim, whose unsolved murder is among those pointing to the "dangerous weakness" of Lebanon's rule of law, Human Rights Watch said 

Human Rights Watch accused Lebanon on Thursday of "flawed" assassination probes and urged donors to review millions of dollars in aid to security forces in a country where crimes often go unpunished.

"The unsolved murders and shoddy homicide investigations are a reminder of the dangerous weakness of Lebanon's rule of law in the face of unaccountable elites and armed groups," Aya Majzoub of Human Rights Watch said.

Lebanon is gripped by political and economic dysfunction to the point that even investigations into the 2020 Beirut port blast which killed more than 200 people and ravaged entire neighbourhoods have yet to identify a single culprit.


The US-based watchdog reviewed preliminary investigations into the murders of four people since 2020, including Lokman Slim, an intellectual and outspoken critic of the Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah movement.

Slim was kidnapped in southern Lebanon exactly a year ago and his body found the next day. His family said Hezbollah had threatened Slim several times, most notably in December 2019.

The three other victims are a retired colonel from the customs administration, an amateur military photographer and a bank employee.

Lebanese authorities have not identified suspects in any of the killings and failed to follow clear investigative leads, "even though the murders were committed either in proximity to residential and densely inhabited areas, in broad daylight," Human Rights Watch said.

In one case, the murder was even caught on camera.

Lawyers and relatives of the victims cited by the watchdog said the police only asked them "superficial" questions limited to "far-fetched potential personal motivations for the murders." They ignored leads potentially linking the victims' politically-sensitive work to their assassination.

The group urged authorities to open investigations into allegations of misconduct and gross negligence from officials dealing with the murder probes.

Donor countries, which have funnelled millions of dollars in assistance to Lebanon's security apparatus, should review their contributions "to ensure that they are not funding units engaged in the cover-up of sensitive murders," Majzoub said.

In a recent interview with AFP Slim's widow, Monika Borgmann, expressed doubts that the local investigation into his murder would ever yield results. That, she said, would be like "giving the green light to the killers, whoever they are, to continue."

There have been at least 220 assassinations and murder attempts since Lebanon's independence in 1943 until Slim's killing last year, according to Beirut-based consultancy firm Information International.

Investigations into these murders have rarely yielded results due to political interference or lack of evidence.

lar/aya/jmm/it

Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to get five-year-old child who fell into a well 

Issued on: 03/02/2022 - 

Bab Berred (Morocco) (AFP) – Moroccans waited anxiously Thursday as authorities said a dramatic operation to rescue a young boy trapped in a deep well for more than 40 hours was nearing its end.

The five-year-old, named as Rayan, fell down the narrow 32-metre (100-foot) deep well on Tuesday evening in his home village near Bab Berred in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen, local media said.

"The child's rescue is approaching," government spokesman Mustapha Baitas said Thursday. "Our hearts are with the family, and we are praying that he will back with them as soon as possible."

The shaft was too narrow for rescuers to reach the bottom, so heavy diggers were dispatched to dig a hole alongside it.

On Thursday afternoon, news website Le360 said that "only nine metres" (30 foot) remained to be dug "that will allow rescuers to reach the boy".

The MAP news agency said rescuers had been able to send him oxygen and water via pipes.

Rayan's father told Le360 he had been repairing the well when the boy fell into it.

Lead rescuer Abdelhabi Temrani told Al Oula television that the diameter of the well was less than 45 centimetres.

Baitas said the nature of the soil meant it was too dangerous to try to widen the hole, meaning major excavations around it were the only solution.

The drama has sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan going viral across the North African region, including in neighbouring Algeria.

The boy's fate has also attracted crowds of people to the site of the operation, putting pressure on rescuers operating in "difficult conditions", Baitas said.

"We call on citizens to let the rescuers do their job and save this child," he said.

Authorities have also prepared a helicopter to take the child to hospital once he is extracted, national news channel 2M said.

© 2022 AFP

Test of HIV vaccine that uses MRNA technology

 

The pianist who escaped a sect and topped the charts


Le pianiste français Riopy pose lors d'une séance photo le 20 janvier 2022 à Paris. (AFP/JOEL SAGET) (JOEL SAGET)

Rana MOUSSAOUI
Thu, February 3, 2022, 7:30 AM·3 min read

From a violent French sect to living on the streets of LA to the top of the music charts, pianist Riopy's incredible journey is the epitome of the idea that music can save your life.

The 38-year-old -- real name Jean-Philippe Rio-Py -- wrote the score for award-winning films "The Shape of Water" and "The Danish Girl", spent three weeks at the top of the US classical charts last month and is streamed by millions around the world via meditation and yoga apps.

But it has been a hard road to success, worthy of a fantastical film.

"I had some bad luck that transformed into an opportunity," he told AFP in Paris.

That is quite an understatement.

The "bad luck" was a sect in the Deux-Sevres region of western France, where he was raised by his mother along with two brothers and two sisters.

He faced beatings and other forms of psychological torment that left their mark in the form of an obsessive compulsive disorder and chronic depression.

The guru who ran the sect banned all music and television but the young Riopy found an abandoned piano and was able to teach himself to play.

"To say that music saved me is a cliche, but it's true," he told AFP.

"They would put me on a chair and tell me: 'Don't move'. It lasted hours and hours. I loved to make up rhythms in my head that I later transferred onto the keyboard."

- 'The nightmare continued' -

Today, Riopy does not like to discuss the details of the sect, but he fled home at 18 and had no contact with his mother for the next 17 years.

He found himself living rough in Paris before heading for Los Angeles -- chasing the American Dream, as he put it.

"But the nightmare continued. I was cleaning toilets in exchange for a bed. I ended up on the streets. A priest tried to rape me."

Giving up on the US, he eventually found himself in Reading, a town outside the British capital, and it was there that his luck finally began to change.

Someone heard him playing in a piano store and offered to pay for his studies on a contemporary music course in Oxford.

From there, he settled in London and began to gig in piano bars.

"My music was so cinematic that it worked well in pubs," he recalled.

A British film producer, Nick Saunders, heard his music online and offered to represent him as his agent.

Soon he was playing in some of the ritziest venues in the city and picking up advertising gigs for the likes of IKEA, Samsung, and an Armani spot that was viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube.

A surreal full circle was achieved one night when he was invited to play at a dinner organised by Vanity Fair and met Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay.

Impressed by his playing, Martin offered to buy him a piano of his own -- a moment that had particular resonance for Riopy.

"When I was 18, before going to LA, I was on the streets of Paris, in the snow. And I was crying and listening to the album 'Parachutes' by Coldplay," he said.

- Back from the brink -

Although his life seemed to have taken an incredible turn of good fortune, Riopy remained crippled by the demons of his past.

"I was suicidal. I drowned it in alcohol and drugs," he recalled.

Yoga and meditation helped pull him back from the brink and his career continued to blossom.

He has released a trio of successful albums since 2018 and found great success as a composer for films.

His darker moods are more under control and he says he can finally enjoy life.

"I have the chance to live from my music, to have a wife that I love and two little babies, and to be able to share my music with a huge number of people," he said.

ram/er/gil